Thursday, April 29, 2010

What are you capable of?

Certain people feel like young people are incompetent, and incapable of leading Nigeria.. My natural reaction would be to rush to our defense, by referencing all the incredible things young people have done. History is full of instances were young people were the catalysts of change and victory all over the world... From the Biblical days of David & Goliath, to recent times when it was the youth that voted in President Obama.

But instead of trying to defend the youth, I choose to challenge us. What are the youth in Nigeria capable of? The time has come where there is no tomorrow. 60% of eligible voters in this country are classified as young. We can either choose to take back the power that has been taken from us or we let sleeping lions lie. One thing I know for sure is this: if we choose to, as in times past, tolerate the way things have always been; if we choose to do nothing... if we choose to say "God dey" and "it's Naija"; one thing is certain...NOTHING will change.

Albert Einstein said "insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Nigeria, is and always will be, a sorry shadow of its potential if we choose to let her remain that way. An unconscious/sleeping giant is less effective than a hardworking ant. The time is now. There is no tomorrow. We must collectively decide to change Nigeria. Now. Today. This very moment. The bad news is, big wheels turn slow. I don't expect PHCN/NEPA to give me electricity when I get home tonight. The good news is, while big wheels DO turn slow, they will turn. Or they'll get replaced.

America moved from being the chief proprietor of slavery to electing a black man of African descent as its President. This is no small feat. Call it blind optimism, but I believe Nigeria can achieve similar results with our Nation's historical problems. We can move from being a country rife with corruption, where power and governance are seen as a birthright, to a real true progressive democracy, if the young and young at heart collectively decide that enough is enough. Change begins when we decide that it should. Its about me. Its about you. Its about Us.

If Martin Luther King and Malcolm X (RIP) didn't decide to do what they did, America wouldn't have come this far; if people like Chief Gani Fawehinmi didn't stand up against all odds when he did, we wouldn't be here right now. Chief Gani Fawehinmi, after decades of fighting for justice, rejected one of Nigeria's highest honors in protest of the many years of misrule since Independence. These are people who believed in our freedom and potential so much that they paid with their lives. May we not let our passiveness result in their fighting and dying in vain.

If we do not stand up to become the architects of Nigeria's future, the opportunity will pass and we will have failed future generations. I don't want my unborn children to witness the same Nigeria I'm seeing now. Change begins with us, if we want it bad enough. If we really feel like enough is enough. If we believe and work hard; if we we sacrifice some of our convenience for the greater good, we can do this.

We must register to vote. We must select and vote for the right candidate. We must vow to defend and protect our vote. The ball is in our court. If we choose not to take back our power by not voting, then we have no right to complain when the same old villains loot and steal from us. We give up the right to complain about the problems later, when we choose not to vote in the first place.

To paraphrase an ancient proverb, we do not inherit Nigeria from our parents. We borrow it from our children. It's time to pay with interest.

~ B.W.

PS: I'm teaming up with some friends and colleagues (M.I., eLDee, #EnoughIsEnough, #Cool2Vote.org, #LightupNigeria etc) to put together youth voter registration rallies and efforts. As soon as its in order we will announce them everywhere. Please spread the word. It's not only cool2vote, it's necessary. Let's do this.

34 comments:

Your posts are always enlightening. I was talking to a guy in his mid-30s yesterday and his reason for not going into politics is because of the dirty game and corruption of the grandfathers ruling the country.

personally, I know the fate Nigeria is in my hand(as a youth) but I really do not know what to do with it or even where to start amending it from.

"game recognise game"...the bitter sweet truth is,yes we all hope to see a *change in 9Ja,but not just 1 young person can take the reigns of power to steer the nation forward.the entire public sector has to be "dis-infected" from the bottom up i.e -from the lowlest levels of the councils to the senate and then the presidency.it is what it is,if a political *cleansing* cant be done,then i personally see no way out.we cant go & on 4 like 4ever comparing our great nation to the likes of america and the rest of the west."rome wasent built in day".yes we could go out to register 2 vote,protest in front of the walls of seats of power with placards/signs of change & nothing would be done,unless theres an eradication of all levels of polictical old farts who are nothing but pundits.so i ask,the ? alover again-WHAT ARE WE CAPABLE OF?...& thats my piece!!cheers

Very inspiring piece. It is time to stop pointing fingers and be passive. Now i the time to get aggressive and demand the change we want. You are right, there is no better time to demand change than at this very moment because the change or lack thereof that occur in these next few years , will have an impact for years to come. Thank you for being a positive role model and continue to spread the word. Stay Safe

Banky, well said. we need faith n boldness. Nigerian youths - in greater numbers must be willing to imagine a better present, a better future, a better NOW. we can make it happen. we have wot it takes. however, it is important we work 2geda in unity regardless of Local Govt of origin, State of origin, tribe, religion, skin color... we must kick out the spirit of jealousy n disunity in order to be a truly formidable force. Let us be one at heart! it is well...#RegisterToVote #OurVotesMustCount #lightUpNigeria #EndTribalism #Respect4Women

you know why i like you BW? it is bcos u are a typical symbol of "never judge a book by its cover". if you were female i'd say u'd pass for beauty and brains but...alas i dunno the equivalent for men!

i, as a person, refrain from 'venting' about naija esp bcos i dont have solution.but here is a classic case of trying to fix the problem by "not untying the gordon's knot". anyways...i'm watching the space. and i'd vote as long as i can.

ps: another thing is that we need proper education on the TRUE capacities and capabilities of these our candidates so we can vote and vote well.

Well first tin first.all great leaders have their mentors.we d nigerian have just a few of them.theres nobody i pratical want to be or politicaly look up too.i have always belived n still do belive that our country is polluted by difficulties which my fellow are seemed to have been made difficult.simple problems are always solved with difficult issues.because someones looking to gain.i quote myself."in a world were u stand alone others will want to stand on u only if then my friend you decided on being a stepping stone no one should make you be their ground"this blog is hot

Mr. Capable has thrown another Bomb! Hell is empty was hot but this is it! you don't only inspire but you also motivate us and make us believe in our capabilities to be able to change this nation. i am glad that this is coming from a celebrity who is seen as a role model both by the youths and elders of this country. may other celebrities also follow in your footsteps so that together we can make a change in 2011. God bless

You'll have to change the beat of Capable when you turn this into an election speech. I'm thinking marching band with white gloved kids waving your innocuous slogan... and of course not a dancing girl in sight. :)

Nice one. Now all you have to do is set up a campaign to make sure our votes count!

Amazing post. My heart fills with so much love and pride for my generation when I come across other young people with a passion and a desperation to develop and improve our country. But you are so right. All talk and no work will achieve us nothing.

cant wait for the rally ( even though i cant even participate), this post was really inspiring. No one wants to live abroad for ever,even if some of us were born abroad, because Uk,US,Canada & the rest of them will NEVER be our homes...

very well put Mr Wellington, Development in any country requires collective effort from everyone, although the Government plays a more popular role, everyone else has a great role to play.To answer your question, we are capable of change, yes we can. Thanks.